Other Dietary Nutrients

Learning Objective: Explain the key recommendations of the dietary guidelines.
      For over a century, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has provided food guides to the public. Some of the more recent guides include the following:

              • 1992: Food Guide Pyramid, which showed the five basic food groups arranged in a pyramid. The lower part of the pyramid consisted of the food groups that made up the majority of the daily diet. People were to eat less of the food groups at the top of the pyramid.
              • 2005: MyPyramid Food Guidance System, which continued with the pyramid design but added physical activity and oils.
              • 2011: MyPlate was introduced and later updated with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

MyPlate
Learning Objective: Discuss the dietary guidelines involved with MyPlate.
MyPlate focuses on making healthy food choices because everything eaten matters (FIGURE 8.1). Some key messages are included with these dietary guidelines:

              • Fill half the plate with fruits and vegetables. Focus on whole fruits and vary the types of vegetables.
              • Make half of the grains eaten each day whole grains.
              • Vary the types of proteins eaten.
              • Move to low-fat or fat-free milk and yogurt.
              • Choose foods and beverages with less added salt, sugars, and saturated fats.

      MyPlate consists of five food groups, along with oil (TABLE 8.5). Oil contains required nutrients, so the USDA addresses it. Oil is usually consumed in nuts, fish, cooking oil, and salad dressing. Most children need 3 to 6 teaspoons, and adults need 5 to 7 teaspoons daily, depending on sex and age.
      The MyPlate website (https://www.myplate.gov/) offers numerous online resources for individuals and professionals. Tip sheets, food plans, and other resources provide additional information. MyPlate is very flexible for cultural foods.

Dietary Guidelines
Learning Objective: Describe the current dietary guidelines.
The USDA publishes Dietary Guidelines every 5 years. These guidelines are for individuals 2 years or older. The focus is on disease prevention and health promotion. The current dietary guidelines focus on overall eating patterns, health, and the risk of chronic disease.